Rotary engine



e. A. LONG. ROTARY ENGINE.

' APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1919. 1,334,252. Patented Mar. 16,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

GG'WGALZLOZ? y INVENTOR WITNESSES :Q l

'AT'roRN EY G. A. LONG.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-23, 1919. 1,334,253. 7 Patented Mar.16,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I a r WITNESSES www/m RE INVENTOR,

ATTO R N EY GEORGE A. LONG, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

Application filed April 23, 1919. Serial No. 292,016.

'1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. Lone, a citizen of: the United States,residing at Scranton, in the county oi Lackawanna and State oiPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention has reference to rotary englues, and its object is toproduce a rotary.

engine which will work efficiently with any suitable motive fluid underpressure, such as air, gas, water, or steam.

In. accordance with the invention, it com prises a stator and a rotorwith the stator inolosing the rotor and of considerably less width,while the rotor includes a circular course for fluid under pressure,which course is divided up by vanes into a circular series of pocketsopen at the periphery, so far as the rotor is concerned, but havingtheir size defined peripherally by the stator. The rotor has a lateralspread on each side of the stator and the fluid course about the rotoris of elliptical. cross section with a circumferential radial neck. Thefluid under pressure enters the elongated pockets of the stator throughthe neck, into which suitable ports lead and which ports are arranged inopposite directions to cause the reversal of the direction of rotationof the rotor. The spent material, after pertorming its work in therotor, is directed into compartments gathering the spent material andarranged for its flow to a point of disposition. The arrangement may besuch that the fluid under pressure, after having passed through oneengine, may be utilized in another lower pressure engine to drive it.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding,however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformitywith the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified solong as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from.the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appendedclaims. 1

In the drawings j I Figure 1 is an elevation of one side of the engine,the engine shaft being shown in cross section.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the engine as seen from the right handside of Fig. 1, showing the valve rod in cross section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical diametric section with some parts shown inelevation.

Fig. 4; is a vertical axial section with some parts shown in elevation.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a "base 1 which may beconstructed similar to the showing of the drawings, or may be otherwiseconstructed as desired.

Fast to the base 1 are pedestals 2, 3 re spectively, suitably spaced toreceive the main portion of the engine and terminating at the upper endsin journal heads 4. Each head 4 carries a curved plate 5, in turnsupporting a roller cage 6, which latter may be of any approved form ormay be replaced by a ball cage instead of a roller cage. A journal, cap7 is applied to the head t engaging the cage 6 on the side opposite thehead 4, and clamp screws 8 serve to hold the parts in properassociation. In order to adjust the plates 5, the head 4 has set screws9 by means of which the antifriction bearings 6 may be adjusted up anddown as needed.

The bearings 6 carry a shaft 10 constituting the engine shaft and inturn supporting a rotor 11. To avoid inordinate weight the rotor may beprovided with radial spokes 12 carrying a rim 13 which, as best shown inFigs. 2 and 4, is relatively broad and correspondingly massive, the rimbe ing broader than its radial extent. Within the rim there is provideda substantially elliptical channel 14; opening by a relatively narrowcircumferential mouth 15 having side walls 16 projecting radially beyondthe periphery of the body of the rotor. The channel 14 is not acontinuous channel. throughout but is divided ofi' into numeroussections by means of radial walls 17 constituting abutment platescompletely filling the channel crosswise. The elliptical cross sectionalform of the channel 14 provides expansion space, especially for steam,so that the entering steam may have a jet action on the rotor throughducts or ports to be described.

Surrounding the rotor is a stator 18 of generally cylindrical shape andconsiderably narrower than the rotor so as to overhang, but to a littleextent, the flanges 16 of the rotor. The stator is provided on each sidewith a circumferential groove 19 with the inner walls of the grooveabout flush with the is directed. from whereby the joints between therotor and" stator may be; rendered fluid tight; However, the arrangementis such that the packingrings while held tight to" the stator do not/-press hard enough against the rotor flanges 16 to materially bindthereon.

Fast to thestator and. preferably at a high point thereonisayalve chest23 containin slide valve and connected to a. pipe 25 for theintroduction into the valve chest of fluid under pressure. Such fluidmay be any fluid adapted for the purpose and'steam maybe taken. as aconvenienteXa-mple of fluid under pressure and will hereinafter beconsidered, as the. motive fluid, without, however, any. limitation tosuch particular fluid.) 'Ilhev valve. chest 23'is provided withastuifing box 26 and'fthevalve is connected to a valve rod' 27 extendingthrough. the stufiinggboxa Leadingrfrom the valve chest 23 diagonally t0the channel 14 are passages or ports 2 8', the passages being oppositelydirected froinan. intermediate point of the valvechest so 'thateitherport may beutilized to conduct steam from the valve chest intothechannel 14, but not both at the same time. The ports 28" are arrangedsubstantially. tangentially to the curvature ofthe chalniel 14-so-thatsteam or, other fluidunder pressure entering the valve chest is directedagainst-the blades or vanes 17 at about right angles thereto, wherebythe force of the propellingfiuidtis exertedupon thevanes at the mostadvantageous angle.-

('lonsidering the valve chest and' ports 28 as located at the upper partof the engine, althoughnot necessarily sov located, the cas- 18 isprovided diametrically opposite from'the. ports 28 witli enlargements orexpansions 29 each inclosing. a. chamber- 30 w-ith a relatively largemouth portion 31 aindgtapering toan. outlet. pipe throughwlfich-thezused fluid-under pressure may escape; Between the chambers 30the caslng has a circumferential continuation 33. sepanatingionechambertromthe other. The enlargements-29 drop below the-casing continnmtion-33 and. extending; into thespace betweentheenlargements 29 is a pedestal34 constituting a; support forv the stator and risingfromtheb'ase- 1Q.Straps 35' are providedttohold thestator on the pedestalv 3,4

and these straps are secured'to-the, pedestal byrbolts:36. Of courseother means may be provided for the purpose.-

VVhensteam or other fluidunder. pressure 7 W the pipe- 25] into thevalvechest--23 it willfinditgway. through one of theportsj28,sayithelezfbhand port in. Fig. 3,

i into the channel. 14. and, impinging against the vane 17in its path.The result is that the rotor is given an impulse to rotate in a. lefthand or counter-cloclm'ise direction in the showing of Fig. 3. While thevanes are separated to a considerable extent cirrinni er'entially of therotor they are suiliciently close together to revent steam fronipassingdirectly from the port 28 to the chamber 30 in the'dire'ction ofrotation. The pockets or compartments in the rotor are sullicientlyextensive circumferentially to cause the impact of the fluid underpressure to continue its action throughout the greater portion of the.distance between the intake port and the chamber-30in order, so that anyliability ol deadspace is reduced to a-niinimuin. More'- over, theexhaust ports represented by the chambers 30 are elongated so that nonuderial back pressure is established,-or only such pressure is presentin the chambers 30'a'nd outlet pipes 32 as may be utilized to driveanother similar engine of low pressure instead of high pressure type.

Aboutone-half oftho engine is utilized in the. rotative eli'ort in onedirection so that the engine may be readily reversed by shifting. theslide valve Zito bring the other port 28 into action instead of th'eport first consideredl What is claimed is 1'. A rotary engine comprisinga stator with. inlet ports therein and havingenlargerl chambers remotefrom the inlet ports to re ceive the spent fluid under pressure, and arotor mounted concentrically with the stator and provided with acircumferential channel with blades separatingthe'channel into sections,the rotor having the channeled portion expanded laterally beyond theside margins of the stator.

A rotary engine comprising a. stator and a rotor mounted within it; therotor having. a 01 rcumferential' channel of elliptical cross sectionwith a radial mouth portion directed toward the stator-and saidv statorconstitutinga closure for the mouth portion fora. part of its length,the rotor extending laterally beyond the sides of the stator whereby toprovide for inertia eflbct inthe rim portion ofthe rotor despite thepresence of the channel and to the width of the stator.

3LA rotary engine comprising a stator and a rotor interior tothe stator;the rotor being of greater w idthaxially than the stator and providedwith a rim having a later ally expanded channel thereinopening'ciroumferentially toward the stator'and provided with divisionwalls or blades in the channel to form circumferentially extendedsections, the stator having means to direct fluid under pressure intothe channel otthe. rotor and also'having circnmferentially extendedoutlets for spent flhid undcr permit reduction of ill) shaped statorwith inlet ports and a valve controlling them, and also provided withenlarged outlet ports in remote relation to the inlet ports, and a rotorinterior to the stator, said rotor being wider than the stator andprovided with a circumferential channel divided by equidistantlydisposed radial blades or vanes into circumferentially elongatedsections, the channel in the rotor being of greater width than height.

A rotary engine comprising a ringshaped stator with inlet ports and avalve controlling them, and also provided with enlarged outlet ports inremote relation to r the inlet ports, and a rotor interior to thestator, said rotor being wider than the stator and provided with acircumferential channel divided by equidistantly disposed radial bladesor vanes into circumferentially elongated sections, the channel in therotor being of greater width than height, and the channel in the rotorbeing also provided with a circumferential mouth portion of less widththan the channel and opening toward the inner wall of the stator.

(3. A rotary engine comprising a stator and a rotor interior thereto,the stator having means for the passa e of fluid under pressure to therotor and with circumferentially extended outlet ports and chambers oflike extension into which the ports lead, with said chambers contractingto the outlet ends, and the rotor having a peripheral portion wider thanthe stator and containing a laterally widened circumferential channelwith a mouth portion opening toward the stator and with vanes or bladesdividing the channel into sections, the blades being circumferentiallyspaced to cause a section of the channel to reach the discharge portbefore the next succeeding section of the channel has passed thecorresponding inlet port.

7. A rotary engine comprising a stator with inlet and exhaust ports onopposite sides, the exhaust being elongated circumferentially andenlarged into expansion chambers, and a rotor mounted interior to andconcentric with the stator and provided with a circumferential channelwith blades separating it into sections and said channel be ing expandedlaterally beyond the side margins of the stator with the rotor also expanded laterally to provide an inertia rim, the channel in the rotorhaving a radial mouth portion provided with side walls or flangesarranged on opposite sides of the body of the stator, and packing meanscarried by the stator in engagement with the side walls or flanges ofthe rotor with the rim of the rotor extending laterally beyond thecorresponding sides of the stator and the packing means.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixedmy signa ture.

GEORGE A. LONG.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. DAVIS, THOMAS E. PRICE.

